Harvey Weinstein's $44 million settlement with his accusers is in jeopardy

Almost as soon as an attorney stood up in a U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware last week and announced that a tentative $44 million deal had been struck between Harvey Weinstein, his former film studio's board and a number of women who have accused the disgraced movie mogul of sexual misconduct, the squabbling began anew.

Rather than a round of handshakes, various parties to the negotiations circled the wagons. At once, the proposed settlement was denounced as offering inadequate compensation to the victims while enabling Weinstein and the directors of the Weinstein Co. to evade accountability or liability. The Hollywood producer behind such Oscar-winning hits as "Shakespeare in Love," "Chicago" and "The King's Speech" was fired from his company in October 2017 after dozens of women accused him of sexual misconduct.